BARRHEAD- The stats prove it. Barrhead is a safe community.
That is what Barrhead RCMP Sgt. Dodds told Town of Barrhead councillors during their Aug. 10 meeting.
"Crime stats are down almost across in the majority of categories," he said.
According to RCMP 'K' Division statistics, from April 2020 to June 2021, property crime in the detachment's catchment area decreased by nine per cent. The decrease, Dodds noted, was driven by the number of break-and-enters and theft under $5,000 complaints which were down 30 and 26 per cent, respectively.
"Person crimes (crimes committed directly against people) for the Town of Barrhead was up slightly over the four-year average, but still respectable. For the entire detachment, they are down," he said.
However, in recent weeks, Dodds said they have seen an uptick in property crime, specifically theft.
He attributed the increase to the ending of public health restrictions.
"People are becoming more active and returning to working in person or going on vacation gives would-be thieves more opportunities," Dodds said.
Copper theft from energy company sites is becoming more prevalent, he said, calling it a "booming industry".
He noted industry people are telling the RCMP that the criminals are targeting large industrial generators, many of which require a tractor or some other mechanical device to lift them.
"They rip them apart, pour the oil (upwards of 2,000 litres of oil per generator) on the ground, steal a couple of hundred pounds of copper out of them that goes for $4 a pound and leave the wreck behind," Dodds said. "At best, they are only getting a couple hundred out of it, but they are causing $500,000 in damage."
Unfortunately, he said, it is difficult to impossible to catch the thieves as many of the sites are out of sight.
"Even if we catch them, with the legislation as it is, they will be released almost immediately," Dodds said.
He added that for a brief period after the Scrap Metal Dealers Identification Act came into effect last spring, police saw a small decrease in copper theft, but it was short-lived.
The legislation requires scrap metal buyers to ask and record the identification of metal sellers.
Coun. Dausen Kluin asked how the copper thieves can dispose of what is mostly wire so readily.
What happens, Dodds said, is that the criminals melt off the protective plastic insulation in a bonfire and then take it into the city to sell at a scrap metal dealer.
Coun. Don Smith asked if there is a way the police could work with scrap metal dealers to catch the culprits.
Dodds replied that there is a unit in Edmonton that check-in on scrap metal dealers, similar to what they do for pawnshops, but the problem is that it isn't illegal to sell copper.
"It is a tool, but it's not perfect. The shops aren't required to ask them where they got the copper from and whatever they tell you is going to be a lie," he said, adding police are trying to work with industry to install preventative measures, such as security cameras and locked gates as a way to curb the problem.
Crime Severeness or Severity Index (CSI)
Barrhead's CSI for 2020 sits at 105.6 compared to the provincial average of 107.4.
The CSI measures the severity of police-reported violations, including traffic offences, with serious crimes given more weight.
"Basically we are at the provincial average," Dodds said.
He noted the issues driving much of the detachment's CSI number are not person crimes, like many communities, but break-and-enters that constitute 34 per cent of their CSI.
"It carries a lot of weight in the CSI because it is an evasive crime," Dodds said, adding that theft under $5,000, possession of stolen goods, criminal code traffic and motor vehicle theft are the other top contributors to the community's CSI.
He added one of the major contributors to the criminal code traffic, is flight from the police.
Unfortunately, he said the number of instances of people fleeing from police is on the rise across the province.
Dodds explained that if a member sees a person they would like to pull over because of a violation, and they turn on their emergency equipment (lights and sirens), the driver often just drives away, leaving police little recourse.
"The policy is you shut your lights off, pull over and stop," he said. "There is good reason for it, public safety, but there is nothing more frustrating for a police officer to watch a criminal drive away from them."
Coun. Ty Assaf said while he was pleased the crime statistics were on a downward trend, he asked how many of the charges police lay "actually stick?”
"My heart goes out to the RCMP hearing what you all go through, but the truth is public perception is that the police are not doing their job, when in fact they are, but it is the justice department is not holding up their end," he said.
Although Dodds did not have exact numbers, he said the ratio of charges versus convictions is "appalling".
Part of the reason, at least for the last year and a half, he said, was COVID and limited court availability.
"We live in an era, where if a person is placed on conditions and don't abide by them, or misses a court date, there are very few repercussions," Dodds said. "Or when we put someone in jail and get $800 cash bail ... it is very much a catch and release scenario."
Barry Kerton, TownandCountryToday.com
